Swiss Seeking Bargains Abroad Shrink Supermarket Sales
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Swiss retailers are struggling this holiday season to curb cross-border shopping after patriotic appeals have failed to stem a growing flow of bargain hunters to supermarkets and shops in neighboring France and Germany.
“Other than soap, everything is cheaper,” said Yannick Majors, a 79-year-old language teacher, who makes a 20 minute drive every Saturday from her Geneva suburb to buy groceries in a Carrefour store in the French border town of Divonne-les-Bains. “I’ve yet to meet a Swiss person who wouldn’t go over the border if they felt they could save money.”